Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A property that has largely been replanted over the last 25 years, the 2009 is one of the best the firm of Jean-Pierre Moueix has yet released from this estate. Eighty percent of this vineyard sits on the limestone plateau and 20% on the hillsides, and the 2009 displays a classic confiture of black cherries, some crushed rocks and spring flowers in a full-bodied, yet at the same time, ethereal and rather elegant style. The wine has gorgeous fruit purity, a broad, luscious texture, and more density and richness than one normally finds in this somewhat finesse-styled wine, which seems to have achieved more depth and potential in 2009. This should be drinkable in 5-6 years and keep for 25 or more.
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Wine Enthusiast
There is dense, ripe fruit here, although with an austere, serious edge. The wine has firm yet juicy blackberry fruits along with concentrated tannins. It is firm, dark, with the potential for good red berry fruits.
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James Suckling
Ripe plum, with hints of sanded oak. Full-bodied, with a pretty core of raspberry and blueberry character. Silky and pretty. Balanced and subtle, yet intense. Try after 2017.
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Wine Spectator
Seems a bit stolid today, with a walled-off core of raspberry and cherry preserves framed by a healthy dose of lightly firm roasted vanilla. Very well-built, with sleek edges and good buried charcoal and tobacco, so cellar for harmony down the road.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.